Too popular? No. Over-rated? Good lord yes. I've tried to read them, I've tried so hard to like them, but the woman just can not write. Besides, children have no business reading some of the themes she puts in those books...large portions of text are written for teen+, but that's shoved in-between drivel that an eight-year-old would find boring and formulaic. It's nice that it gets kids to read, but so does Dr. Seuss. And, no, people who think it currupts kids with the occult have no idea what they are talking about. They aren't evil or anything, they just aren't any good. Maybe my standards...and those of my neice and two nephews...are just set too high.

Lucca from Chrono Trigger. She's got a great personality, she's really cute, she's brilliant, she's sweet, she cares for others, she's independant but still needs help sometimes, and she's good with a wrench. Also, she's a girl with a gun...can't go wrong there (unless you make them angry at you). Oh...and fire magic. Fire magic rocks. And I've got this thing about girls who wear glasses. And...I need her brain power on my team. I also enjoyed her side quests and thought her father was awesome...gotta like the family too, ya know. Basically...she's perfect.

Ngyeh...I've invested about 125 hours into SO3. Not sure of the exact amount, and too lazy to look it up, but somewhere in that area. It's a good game. There are very few things that I dislike about it, but it just doesn't speak to me like I thought it would. See...SO2 is, to date, my single favorite RPG of all time. All told, (over smany different play-throughs), I've probably logged well over 1500 hours on SO2. I've beaten the game more times than I can remember. I still never get tired of playing it. SO3...I've already gotten bored with. It's fun and has some nice ideas, but it's just not the same. The monsters aren't as interesting or as tough as they get in SO2 either...I have never had trouble defeating a monster or a boss in SO3, but in the previous game there are some monters and bosses that are downtight beastly. I don't like the characters nearly as much either. That's all just my opinion, though.

I just blew my entire dowload quota for the day, plus more than a full credit trying different wallpapers (thinking maybe just some of them were nutty) and reloading like a madman (since that used to work in the past). It has been getting worse, as of late, but this is ridiculous. There's no delay, no "network timing out," the pwned image just pops up like a happy little puppy you don't want but can't squish.

Well, sure you do. That's because laughing is a highly-contagious virus transmitted through the air. First it takes over your vocal chords and muscle functions, and then it wreaks havoc with your inhibitions. Next it causes spasmodic fits and terrible shooting pain in the abdominal region, before making it next to impossible to breath. After you reach that stage, all that's left is death. Well, the death of your dignity, if nothing else. It's a terrible epidemic. When you're by yourself, your body can fight it off far more easily, but when others are around it's a different story. The Laughing Virus mutates within the others and then is retransmitted back to you in its new, stronger state even as you transmit a different strain to those around you. Something must be doen to stop this terrible virus...it is destroying our civilization!

Seriously, though, that's not far off. When you laugh, your body emits certain endorphin-rich pheromones that stimulate the brain chemistry of nearby humans and makes them more susceptable to laughing. To top it off, when you're around people you "like," your brain naturally produces even more of the endorphins that make you "happy" and susceptable to laughing. There's really no mystery to it.

It is a horrible epidemic, though, and must be stopped!

Princess Mononoke is my favorite of the bunch, with Nausicaa coming in a close second. Next would be Totoro and then Grave of the Fireflies...that's a terrific movie. After that would be Laputa: Castle in the Sky and then Kiki's Delivery Service. Spirited Away finishes off the ones I like...pretty much everything else paled in comparison to these. Porco Rosso in particular was, in my opinion, horrendous.

But, it's not really a problem for me. I already own them all.

The entire Dragon Ball series is abyssmal...and not just because of the pacing. The story, the characters, everything is terrible. But it isn't the worst. The single most overrated anime would have to be Akira. That was a piece of junk. Sure, it was one of the first anime to hit it big here in the States, but that just goes to show how poor the taste of the companies that selected anime to bring over in the early days really was.

Scrapped Princess. Episode 1 of Scrapped Princess had me hooked like a trout on two treble hooks. I had to see the rest of the series after that, and would have crushed anyone who stood in my way. Too bad the ending of the series was so rushed. But..yeah, first episode of Scrapped Princess would have to get my vote. Next would be...probably Haibane Renmei. That first episode is just gorgeous. After that...yeah, Last Exile. That was pretty sweet.

Erm...I'm just a nobody (have nothing to do with the runnin of MT), but here's how it works. The donwload quota was decreased from 30 per day to 5 per day...so that's all we get now, five measily downloads.

Scans are, usually, someone else's work that you scan out of a "proffessional" or "official" art book...or maybe you got it off some poster, or something. It's official artwork made by the creators or someone else with a liscence to put it on an official product/release. Not your own work. It has pretty much nothing to do with whether or not you scanned the image itself. For your own work, I'd send that to Indy art, myself.

Most of my best friends have completely opposing views to mine. Most also have wildly differing personalities than my own. In my opinion, those are the best possible types of friends. Sure, you have to have some similar likes, but none of those things have to be core ideologies. People who have the same or similar political and religious view as me are usually pretty boring to be around. I want debate and deep, meaningful discussion. If you all think the same way, discussion tends to be rather brief.

"Hey, so-'n-so's a hack."
"Yep, sure is."
"So, uh...how about that weather, eh?"

That's not what I want. Sure, I "get along with" those people, but I have no reason to spend any great deal of time with them. They might be good anime-buddies, or something, but not real, close friends. The ones who disagree with you are the ones to keep around. Opposition is what drives us humans, without it we become lax and unproductive. A friend who can challenge you is a precious commodity, not a taboo. So long as a person can stand beside you and support you when you need it, and tolerate you the rest of the time, they are a friend. Having similar ideals isn't a prerequisite...or very much fun.

Erm...and do what with it? I don't see any other way to close the series...I mean, I'd love to get more FLCL, but what would the movie cover? I guess...what is it that you aren't satisfied about?

Spoiler:

I just don't see what there is left to have the series do...

Hmm...I'd have to say that my favorite restaurant to eat at would be my mom's house home. Technically, my dad does the cooking, but it's all good.

Other than that, though...it comes down to what I'm eating.

"Mexican" food = Hacienda.
Italian food = Olive Garden
Chinese food = used to love a restaurant called Chan's Gardens, but they're under new ownership now (the guy who used to own it died and his family left...I think they went back to China, actually). So, next would be this nice little restaurant up in Houghton, MI, called Hunan Garden. They rock.
Pizza = Pizza Hut
Burgers/Fast Food = McDonalds
Steak = Texas Corrale
Subs = Subway
Fried Chiken = Chicken Coop

Those are...pretty much the only places I ever go. I usually just stay in and make something quick like a sandwich.

I always thought Rose would be best for him. Not that that's really a possibility. Ed and Winry do make a very cute couple, though.

Or Hawkeye...

Put your hands over your ears, close your eyes, start singing loudly, and run away. It works every time. Well...at the very least, they stop asking you. Though, some girls will get offended by it.

Honestly, the best advice I can give is to be honest. But be nice about it. Tell the truth, but don't say something like, "Woah, girl, that thing is huge! How do you fit through doorways?" That will get you in trouble. Be polite about it, and you'll be fine. Even if they get mad at first...which, in my experience, they almost certainly will...they will forgive you rather quickly and appreciate the candor and the kindness later on. That's how lasting relationships are built.

Mew Mew Power? No thanks. I have some dignity left. Not much though.

Now, if you want to talk about Tokyo Mew Mew, well, that's an entirely different story. Tokyo Mew Mew was, I'm a bit embarrased to say, actually quite decent. Oh, Lettuce-chan did make my heart glad...how I miss you Lettuce! This abomination called Mew Mew Power, though, is just sad. Sure it's the "same" show, but it's completely different. If it were just a dub, I'd have no problem with it, but it's not. They rewrote the names...no big deal. All dubs do that. They messed up the translation...no big deal. All dubs do that. But...but they completely rewrote the story itself. They bleached the locations and their names to remove any semblance of Japan. They're trying to pass it off as any generic country, with heavy leaning towards America. They changed the villains, they changed the motivations, and they hired horrible voice actors. Well, okay, most dubs have at least a few horrible voice actors, but...they destroyed the story. I can't forgive that.

Yes and no. There are several games that, I personally feel, could use to be toned down a bit. But the vast, overwhelming majority of this "controversy" is nothing but media sensationalism. It's a good story. It gets ratings. So, they play up on it even more to get even higher ratings. There is no real crisis, only a manufactured one, and the small danger that does exist would be alleviated entirely if parents just took more care in raising their children. Sure, they can't be with their kids 24 hours a day, but if you raise your kid right, you don't need to be. I've seen it happen many times. A properly raised child doesn't need supervision because they were taught to self-supervise. Any spillover (hey, peer pressure does have an effect) can again be dealt with by more parental involvement.

Seriously, it's all just the media looking for a good story. Video games aren't evil...they are inanimate, they lack the necessary qualities to be either good or evil. They haven't gone too far or failed to go far enough. They are exactly where they should be for this time and place. The only failing is in how they are seen by the public.

I'd go to bed. Seriously, what else is there to do? If you haven't lived your life so that you are always prepared to die, then you haven't lived your life right. Me? I never do anything dangerous. I'm very conservative. I'm boring. I lead a very uneventful life, full of teaching physics (my passion and my job), playing video games, and watching anime. It's not a lot, but seriously, I'm happy. If I die, I die. Going out and having a "night on the town" just isn't me. It would be a slap in the face of my whole life. If you're happy with who you are, you shouldn't need to go out and do anything. I mean...maybe call friends and family to say goodbye, since I apparently know I'm going, but there's nothing I need to do to "prepare" for my death, or be "happy" with my death.

My understanding? Know what you can do with my understanding? Well, you can be thankful for it, that's what.

Regardless...I'm going away for the rest of the day. Hopefully tomorrow everything will be better, and I'll no longer feel like kicking my monitor.

I've got the same problem as LordWe. I mean...that update thread is nice and all, it shows the changes that were made but it doesn't explain anomalies such as this. I thought...maybe it's a fubar, so I went and downloaded another wall as an experiment. I'm now at -18 DQ, yet my Credits haven't budged. What's up?

Heck..I just became afraid to download anything. My DQ is still at -17...I've only downloaded 2 things today! Maybe...maybe 10 all of yesterday. What the heck is going on? Limiting abuse is one thing, creating confusion and fear is something entirely different.

Hahahahaha! My credits show at 47.38...but my Download Quota just jumped to -17! Yes, that's a minus 17! Hillarious. This is bull.

Heck, I don't understand how I get credits...nor do I care. I just look up every once-in-a-while and, bam! I've got another credit. Sweet! I definitely like seeing them, though. As for the Download Quota not showing...that bother's me. I don't want to be in the middle of a big dowloading-orgy just to have Minitokyo say "no" out of the blue. I mean, heck, I logged on this morning and my Dowload Quota said "only shows when low." I went and downloaded 2 wallpapers, and now the Download Quota says "8." Umm...okay...where did that come from? I consider 8...or 10...or even 15 to be kinda low. It's the kinda thing I need to know. It determines which wallpapers I download and which I can only dream of downloading. It's a major issue, and something I want to be constantly updated on.

They're both great series. Cowboy Bebop just oozes "classy style." It's got the jazzy feel, bounty hunters, and space...oh and Faye, too...all of which are awesome. Samurai Champloo oozes something else..."cool style," I suppose I'll call it. It's got fast-paced action, a coherent story (something CB sort-of lacks), and unbounded hillarity...and Fuu...all of which are awesome.

Spike (CB) and Mugen (SC) are dramatic opposites. They're the same type of guy, but they do it in a different way. They're both rogues...handsome, unbelievably-skilled, and have a "badass" feel to them. They also have very similar backstories. But Spike is "smooth" while Mugen is "rough" and in-your-face. Jet (CB) and Jin (SC) are similarly dramaitc opposites. They're the "cool" characters. Logical, composed, and with their own (very similar) backgrounds. But Jet is more of the hard-boiled detective type, while Jin is the honorable warrior. Faye and Fuu are the same way...Faye is wild, compulsive, and scheming...and really pretty, in her own way. Fuu is composed, driven, and needy...and really pretty in her own way. Both have comanding personalities, but they do it in a different way. You can't help but do whatever Fuu asks...you can't refuse to do whatever Faye wants.

The animation styles are different, but the both branch off the same root. The stories, likewise, are different ways of telling the same journey. In Cowboy Bebop, Spike has his quest as the major driving factor of the series, with Jet and Faye having sort of "side-quests" that advance the story in other ways. Samurai Champloo does the same thing, but with Fuu's story as the main driving factor and Mugen and Jin being the extra pop that keeps the pace up.

In the end...I like Samurai Champloo better. It has far better fight scenes...I mean...wow they're awesome. It also has a slightly more coherent storyline. But Cowboy Bebop is awesome. The series, at least...I personally didn't like the CB movie. It was kinda lame. Just my opinion, though.

I'm about as boring as a physics textbook. Most people find me to be very dull, but a select few are able to appreciate the true awesomeness that lies within. Well, no...that's a lie. Everyone thinks I'm boring, some just accept that more than others.

I'm highly-schedualed (a.k.a. I hate spontaneity), I'm very responsible (a.k.a. I won't do anything that even stretches the law...any law, even unofficial ones), I'm very conservative when it comes to my entertainment (a.k.a. I refuse to do anything even slightly dangerous or unseemly), and I'm very set in my ways (a.k.a. I won't try anything new, so long as I still have the strength in me to fight against doing it), and I've been like this since...kindergarden, basically. Yep...I'm a bastion of fun. Nothing boring about me. Nope, nothing at all. Oh, who am I kidding...sometimes I bore myself. But, hey...it's not like I don't ever have fun. I think the things I do are tons of fun, most people just don't agree with me.